Tervo was raised in the remote Upper Peninsula of Michigan, U.S.A. She grew up in Dodgeville, MI (pop. 500), where she created Shards Of Glass In Your Eye! in 1995. She attended the University of Michigan, where she majored in psychology. She earned a Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University of Maryland in 2004, where she concentrated on research in schizophrenia and neuropsychology. She is currently a forensic neuropsychology consultant and zine-maker.

Tervo uses writing as a means of turning her socially-inappropriate impulses into something tangible and productive. When she's not writing, she enjoys electronic dance music, making handcrafted worry stones, and amateur photojournalism. Historically, she has excelled at spelling bees. She lives in Los Angeles.

Zines for Troops! collects zines and sends them to military members and injured veterans. The project operates under the auspices of non-profit organization Operation Paperback, which provides free reading materials to U.S. military members worldwide. People who donate zines receive two custom 1" buttons and their name on an Honor Roll on We Make Zines.